Bleach : The Last Souls
by TheAmazing009
Summary: AU What if Ichigo had first battled Aizen? What if Nnoitra, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were still alive? What would change? First attempt at a "What if?" and a Bleach story. Pairings: IchiHime, RenjiRuki, NnoiNel
1. Chapter 1: Shattered

The orange haired warrior fell to his knees, his body damaged severely, his soul ripped apart, his will to fight completely obsolete…he had lost…

Out of all people, he never expected he´d be defeated by Aizen after coming so far…after seeking help from the most unlikely of sources, since Urahara Kisuke and Shihõin Yoruichi to enhance his shinigami powers and aid him in revealing his bankai, to the infamous Vizards, who despite not being able to help him fully control his inner Hollow, managed to teach him how to have access to some of its abilities, enhancing his strength greatly.

Still, he had lost to Aizen Sõsuke…

Still he had fallen at the power of the Kyoka Suigetsu…

Still he failed everyone who believed in him…

He failed Soul Society…all the captains, vice-captains and seated officers had placed their faith and trust upon him, believing he would be the one to save them all…

He failed the Vizards…they who in the short time spent with him gave their all to help him grow stronger, to become more….

He failed Tatsuki…his very first friend, the tomboyish girl who had been beside him his whole life; he would never forget how he made her cry when he left…he would never tell her how sorry he was…

He failed his family…ever since his mother passed away in order to protect him from the hollow Grand Fisher, he had sworn to keep them safe, not to fail again like he had before…it seemed that once again he had bitten of more than he could chew…he would leave them…as a failure…he didn´t deserve his mother´s sacrifice…

He failed Renji…despite their bickering, Abarai and Ichigo had become friends, heck, and he even considered the red haired shinigami a brother…a brother he would now leave…

He failed Ishida…the Quincy was his very first rival, although now they didn´t quite see each other like that…they were teammates, partners…friends…best friends…

He failed Chad… he had always enjoyed the company of the peaceful giant…strong as a tiger but gentle as a lamb…both had vowed never to give up and fight for what they believed him…then why didn´t Ichigo find the strength to continue…

He failed Rukia…the petit shinigami had become part of life, of his family…of himself…she had made him change his view of the world, helped him grow, made him strong…and what would he give to her in return? Deception and disgrace…

He failed Orihime…words could not express the excruciating pain that burned Ichigo as he thought about how he would never set his eyes on this angel…the girl he had battled for, travelled and faced worlds for, sacrificed himself for…it was all in vain…she would not be saved…he would not be the knight in armor that would bravely take her bake home…he was just a vermin who disappointed her…a toad unworthy of the love of that goddess…yes, he loved her…he kind of always had…ever since he had battled her hollowfied brother to save her and had gazed onto her beautiful moons, he knew it was her…her softness and grace reminded him of his mother, the mother he so desperately wished to save…now he had that chance again…but he blew it…she would remain in Hueco Mundo because of his weakness…he hated himself for that…

And overall…he failed himself…

The shinigami traitor know as Aizen Sõsuke smiled softly at his fallen opponent, albeit with disdain in his eyes, for he had expected more from the Shinigami Substitute…not for him to last long against his overwhelming power…not for Kurosaki Ichigo to defeat him…he just…well…expected more…

Ichigo´s hands desperately tried to reach Zangetsu…his bruised chest screamed in agony as he struggled to breathe, the air feeling like blades piercing his lungs…he had to get up…he NEEDED to get up…he had to fight…he HAD to win!

Ichimaru Gin simply enlarged the usual smirk that was drawn in his lips as he witnessed the futile attempts of the defeated shinigami to stand up and restart the battle.

"Y´know, yer not gonna make yerself any favor by facin´ Captain´ Aizen again" - the silver haired shinigami grinned more when he noticed the anger building up in Ichigo´s amber moons – "Yer fighting spirit was fun to watch, however it´s getting´ a lil´ borin´ havin´ to take yer ass down time and time again"

Tõsen Kaname stood next to the other two defected captains, and didn´t really seem to be concerned with his enemy.

To him, Kurosaki was weak…nothing but a pathetic vermin who was crushed and for whom no one would mourn.

As Ulquiorra would say: "he was nothing but trash".

"Tell me, Kurosaki…" – a triumphant Aizen declared with pride and somewhat insanity in his voice – "How does it feel to have come this far, to have defeated the biggest and the strongest, to have faced the wrath of all of Hueco Mundo…just to fail miserably in the end? Just to be defeated like you were nothing but a child…just to show all who believed in you how pathetic and sad you truly are…"

"S-shut up…" – Ichigo growled in pain as he tried to rise against this…monster – "It´s not over yet…I´m not finished…"

"Oh…I´m afraid you are, Ichigo" – replied the victorious Aizen – "From the very moment you first stepped forward to oppose me, you knew you were bound to fail…you cannot escape my power, you cannot escape your destiny…and most of all…you cannot escape your past…"

"NO! THAT´S NOT TRUE!" – yelled the despaired Ichigo as he finally reached his blade, much to the astonishment of Gin and Tõsen – "GETSUGA TENSHÕ!"

Somehow, he still had enough spiritual energy in order to do the dark energy attack. Aizen was amazed at the sheer determination of this human who, in spite of his injuries, could still maintain his bankai and launch the attack he had just performed as if nothing had happened. Could there have been any intervention from his inner hollow? Probably not. The mask had shattered long ago, and Aizen´s Kyoka Suigetsu made him invulnerable to any comeback from the beast.

Although he concentrated the remainder of his energy into the Getsuga Tenshõ, Ichigo knew it wasn´t enough…none of the three defected captains would even earn a scratch from this attack.

His suspicions were true as Aizen, with his bare hand, deflected the attack as if it was nothing.

"Kurosaki Ichigo…your efforts won´t pass without a reward…you came so far…I think you deserve a second chance…join me…and I will let you live…" – the villainous shinigami smiled with arrogance at the now incapacitated Ichigo.

"You´ll…let…me live?" – questioned a shocked Ichigo.

"Indeed…you have showed great skills, entering Hueco Mundo, defeating several of my Arrancars and even incapacitating one of my Espada, Grimmjow. I think that´s an amazing achievement for a mere human to accomplish…come with me Ichigo…and I will give you power…I will make you a God…you´ll have everything you desire…beyond your wildest dreams!"

For a few instances Ichigo stared down, not knowing how to react to this indecent proposal…could he really betray all of those who had believed in him? Could he destroy all the bonds he had formed during the way? Could he forget the reason why he had fought?

Voices echoed in his head: Rukia, Renji, Chad, Ishida, Urahara, Yoruichi, Byakuya, Isshin, Karin and Yusu, Tatsuki! But one of them screamed louder than all of them combined.

"Save us, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Inoue…" – he murmured, his hands shaking as pure rage filled his eyes – "Forget it Aizen! I am not like you! I never take the easy way if it means betraying all those who love me and fight for me! I only battle to keep them safe, not to make me a "God"…now I realize…despite all your power and army…you´re just sad…a sad and lonely man, who will never know love…and for that…I pity you…I pity you a lot, Aizen…"

Gin looked at his partner, and Tõsen could even swear the silver haired shinigami had opened his sapphire moons in astonishment for a second as he saw something he had never seen before in Aizen: rage. A small inch of frustration and contempt for the orange haired human was visibly stamped in the face of the powerful man.

Aizen Sõsuke stared coldly at Ichigo, with disgust for this vermin who dared to defy his power and will, rejecting his offer and even reaching the extreme of calling him a pitiful one…who did this kid think he was?

"Truly disappointing, Kurosaki Ichigo…I was hoping for you to see the light…to follow your common sense and do what was right for you…yet you dare to reject me, despite seeing how pathetic and powerless your and Soul Society´s attempts to defeat me truly were…still…if you wish to oppose me…then so be it" – he finally declared, digging his palm into the chest of the orange haired warrior, making him unleash incessant screams of pain as he felt something desperately trying to escape his body.

Tõsen turned his head in another direction, visibly disgusted with the torture Ichigo was being submitted to.

After a few minutes, Aizen removed his hand from Ichigo´s chest, a blue reiatsu flowing in his hand. Ichigo had returned not to his Shikai state, but to his human appearance, not wielding any shinigami clothing whatsoever.

"This is what you obtained in the day you first met Kuchiki Rukia…and became your journey…this…is the remainder of your spiritual energy…and your only way to become a shinigami…without it, you are nothing but a mere human…powerless to defeat the weakest of Hollows…I´m sorry Kurosaki…but your adventure is now over…stand idly by in Hueco Mundo as it consumes your soul and makes you one of the hollows you despise so much" – revealed a smiling Aizen, contemplating the now disgraceful existence of his opponent.

Ichigo trembled in agony, fighting to breathe, not wanting to believe what had happened. He would never return to Karakura, he would never see his family, nor his friends again…he would never tell Orihime how much he loved her…

"Farewell, human…it is really a shame you will die the same way you came to the world: weak" - murmured Aizen as he held Ichigo in the air before throwing him down a tower from the Las Noches palace.

Ichigo fell at a frightening speed, his lungs no longer working as he felt everything around him black out. This was it. Kurosaki Ichigo´s soul would vanish here…and his existence would be forever erased from history…all because of his weakness…

Faces surrounded him, voices echoed loud, screams, moans, sobs…all in vain…he would not rise, his fall couldn´t be stopped. There was no hope. Soul Society´s champion had been defeated, and soon all existence would be plunged into darkness by Aizen.

As he felt he was about to hit the ground, only three words managed to escape his lips before darkness engulfed him.

"Inoue…forgive me…"

_The world´s greatest hope lies in its despair – Jean Racine_


	2. Chapter 2: The Roar of the Panther

Following Aizen Sõsuke´s ultimate victory over the fallen Kurosaki Ichigo, the deadly defected captain´s trio made their way back to Las Noches palace.

Contrary to what had been witnessed by his partners a few instants ago when he disposed of the orange haired human, the usual meticulous serenity had returned to Aizen´s, who was more than glad for his victory. Now he had no one else to stand between him and his goals. Not even Yamamoto posed a threat for him, now that he had finally understood the concept behind the infamous Hogyokõ.

He ascended to the upper balcony from the palace, contemplating the monstrous army of subordinates that surrounded him. The sheer devotion from most of the Arrancars made the tyrant smirk in triumph. They existed for him. They would do everything for human, regardless of how inhumane or wrong someone could consider it to be. They would attack, burn, steal, kill and even die for him without the slightest hint of hesitation.

The dogmatic beliefs of power he had implanted upon the minds of his army, the fear and admiration they had for him was…delicious…

Gin grinned, for he had understood what his captain had in mind just by staring at the shine of his eyes. The time had come…the real war was about to begin.

"My friends… "– whispered the traitorous shinigami before raising his head, revealing a triumphant smile to the army that followed him so passionately – "For far too long you have been oppressed by the hypocrisy of the reckless shinigami who kill you without hesitation, as if your life was nothing but a toy they could dispose of just because it is their wish… but now, we have one opportunity to change that. The great personal and spiritual meeting of old fighters and comrades in struggle has served to enlighten us all of how we could change the world, how we could find strength in numbers, how we could evolve and face these unholy atrocities put upon all Hollow and Arrancar by the corrupt Soul Society Shinigami. I remember all too well the first time me and my colleagues stepped inside of Hueco Mundo. I must say my heart ached in sadness as I saw nothing but a wasteland…a place of darkness, despair and loneliness for all of you who I knew from the very start, had potential to find the light and reach the peak of excellence in which you stand today. I still remember back then, when there were only the three of us: Kaname, Gin and I…back then, in spite of our reduced numbers, we already had a principle… an ideal that was bound to save you all… we would be leaders with a true ideology, an ideology of justice and brotherhood, an ideology that would assure no hollow was superior to the other and that all deserved the opportunity to be given the luxurious glory of wielding an expression of pride and glory, a chance to change the world…an opportunity to escape from the prison of weakness in order to become strong! At the start we weren´t many, but that was because we needed to remain like that, since we mobilized the most valuable elements of passion, struggle and sacrifice in all of this realm, which have not always been in the majority, but rather in the minority! The Arrancar and Hollow are glad by acknowledging a constant changing vision of the true meaning of life has been replaced by a straight pole! Our pole! The pole of hope!"

He paused for a second, looking to analyze the expressions of his subordinates. His smile grew wider for he had already reached one of his goals: he had captivated them.

The hundreds, thousands, millions of Arrancar and Hollows surrounding the shinigami dictator were completely quiet, but he could clearly observe the passion glimmering in their moons, the grins drawn on their lips, the will to shout their adoration for their "God of the new world".

He raised his hand, ready to restart the speech that would forever change the course of History in Hueco Mundo.

"There has always been part of beings that stands out as really active fighters, and therefore, more is expected from them than from the millions of national comrades in the general population. For them it is not plausible, not even acceptable to simply make the pledge ` I believe ´. They have to make others believe! They have the duty to make the dream come true! We have the duty to make the dream come true! We have the duty to make the affirmation ` Yes, I will fight! ´ "– his words echoed deeply into the minds of the countless army, some of them already with tears of admiration in their eyes, others with grins of enthusiasm in their faces. This made Aizen oh so proud of himself – "Before, our enemies, those cruel shinigami who take your freedom and right to live away with the sickest of pleasures, as if it was their right to decide what do with all of you, chased you…prosecuted you…burned you…and for what? To show they were the superior kind? To follow their fake and frail justice? All for what? Only to make their ego and killing tendencies grow, as if they were superior to the entire Hollow and Arrancar who struggle to live their lives! Now we must examine ourselves and remove from our midst the elements that have become bad, parasitic to our existence, to your existence, and therefore do not deserve to remain near us! And we must be aware and believe firmly that when the older ones, the veterans, those who made us grow and made us the glorious beings we are today falter, the younger generations will rise, battle, stiffen and remain until their bodies decay! Only then, when our army and we manage to coexist and materialize these beliefs, to say ` enough ´ to the vile oppressors that once dared to step on us and treat us like dirt…and to make our dreams of peace and equality true…only then shall our magnificent and laudable army, the old and new, big and small, strong and weak…standards bearers of our people who are equally tradition minded will make our words audible and will unite the world for a brighter future! A future in which Arrancar and Hollow will reign supreme, giving the treacherous shinigami their well deserved punishment: oblivion!"

He sighed for a bit, his grin wider than it had ever been…the culminating point was near…they were about ready to go into battle with sheer determination fueling their hearts.

"My friends…all I ask for is justice in the form of a war so great that will make hell itself tremble when we unleash the fury of millions of years of oppression and despair upon those who dug us and treated us like dirt. Gentlemen…do you wish for war as I do? Do you seek the amazing pleasure of having your arm raised when justice is made and you reach your righteous position? Do you wish to release the pain who were submitted to by these monsters known as shinigami? Tell me, my people…what do you wish?"

Silence hit the room. Aizen stood high, contemplating the look stamped in the faces of all his followers. It was magnificent how his words appealed to them. Tõsen could not describe the feelings his partner´s speech had awakened in him. Moments like this reminded him of the reason he pledged his allegiance to the shinigami dictator long ago. Not only were his actions strong…but his words moved mountains.

Finally, the Arrancar came to an agreement and a series of shouts emerged from the dark silence, growing louder every time they came out from their mouths.

"WAR! WAR! WAR!" – screamed the roaring army in admiration and in passion for their master. They would follow him anywhere he would go. They were his.

"Very well…then war is what you shall have" – revealed a smiling Aizen, contemplating the massive crowd around him. He had reached his goals – "We will mobilize and take our revenge upon those who sent you screaming and to oblivion long ago and that now lie sleeping…let´s drag them out of bed by the hair and remind them of what we are. We will remind them of what it is like to live in fear. At long last, the eagle of our army has crossed the ocean and his heading up the hill of glory!"

He raised both his hands in the air. He was going to end this speech…he was going to show Yamamoto and all of the Gotei 13 what true destruction was…

"Attention all soldiers from the Arrancar army! This is a message from your master" – he calmed down, his eyes now glimmering with a new feeling. Not power, not madness, not anger. Conquest. The sheer desire of conquering everything he set his eyes on filled his soul as he released the ultimate order – "Friends…let´s…give them…Hell!"

As soon as these words echoed through the large halls of the palace, Aizen simply had to close his eyes and contemplate the marvelous sound of the roars of pride and will to fight from his Arrancar army.

Phase one…was complete…

Meanwhile in one of the medic rooms, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the Sexta Espada, lied defeated and bruised from his encounter with Kurosaki Ichigo. His wounds were finally responding to the treatment, and even the blow that had been inflicted to him by Nnoitra Jiruga (the also wounded Quinta Espada) had finally been closed, leaving only yet another scar in Grimmjow´s body.

The panther would not mind it anyway, since after all, his scars were his medals, remainders of long battles, battles he had won or lost and made him better than what he had ever been in the past, because after all, above sadistic, violent and cruel, Grimmjow was a man guided by his pride, a pride that made him grow respect and admiration for the obnoxious orange haired shinigami that landed him his first defeat ever…he wanted a rematch against this amazing opponent that had given him the challenge of a lifetime.

"He´s moving! I think he´s waking up!" – one of the medics shouted when Grimmjow opened his sapphire moons and scanned the space around him…first shadows…then pale reflexes…finally al, took shape and he managed to realize where he was.

"Sexta Espada!" – a nurse exclaimed shocked with his astonishing fast recovery – "Are you okay? Do you need any kind of assistance?"

"W-where…is the shinigami…woman?" – the blue haired Arrancar finally managed to mutter.

"Excuse me?" – the nurse questioned intrigued. Out of all the patients that she and her medical department had healed, none of them had ever displayed such interest about something like a "shinigami". However, as it was Grimmjow…she shouldn´t be surprised with his battle thirst.

"The shinigami that put me like this!" – he growled now, visibly angry about the disregard for Kurosaki that was being show to him. How could they forget the man that had done what no one had ever dreamt of before: to defeat the most powerful Arrancar in existence, himself!

"Oh…if you are referring to the man known as Kurosaki Ichigo…then you no longer have to worry about him. Aizen-sama has disposed of him…" – intervened the medic with joy in his voice as he revealed the ultimate victory of Aizen over Ichigo.

These words completely shook Grimmjow´s world. He stopped reacting to the voices around him and to what his eyes gazed.

Kurosaki was gone? The man that had made him realize he wasn´t all might had forever vanished? What was he left with then? How could he restore his order by defeating the orange haired shinigami…if there was no orange haired shinigami to defeat? God damn Aizen…how did that bastard dare to take his prey from him? He would make him pay!

Suddenly, a grin was visible in the face of the Sexta. How he pitied these idiots…they couldn´t even analyze spiritual pressure properly…he could smell the stench from Kurosaki´s reiatsu from the hospital room…it was…minimal…pathetic even…but he was still alive…probably he was just wounded…Grimmjow had to find him then…he would not fight him in this state…and leaving to find an enemy not appointed by Aizen would be considered high treason…

But laws never did matter for Grimmjow, now did they?

"Is there something wr…" – the nurse´s head was suddenly slammed against the wall before she could even finish her question.

The panther warrior rose from his bed, an insane trademark smile adorning his lips, the old Grimmjow was finally back.

"What is this all about? Have you lost your mind?" – screamed the outraged medic before a firm and strong hand enveloped his neck.

"You are not in the position of raising your voice to me now, are you?" – laughed the blue haired Arrancar as he applied pressure in the neck of the oblivious medic.

"D-damn…you…bastard…" – the choke victim murmured, struggling for breath as the furious Sexta Espada slammed him against the floor as well, standing over him with that glimmer in his eyes: the will to fight.

"W-when..A-aizen-sama finds out…about this…you´re doomed…Grimmjow…say…goodbye to…your rank…and your…existence…you worm…" – threatened the medic as he struggled for breath. He would continue his monologue, had Grimmjow´s foot not stepped viciously onto his neck.

"Do you really think that if I cared about what Aizen will do to me, I would kill you?" – he smiled more as he looked upon the expression stamped on his victim´s face: fear. He had forgotten how delicious it was to taste the insecurity from the pigs that perished at his hands. It made him feel so great.

But all this chit-chat had gotten him bored.

"Sayonara…I´ll let you keep your lower body as message for Aizen" – the soon-to-be former Espada laughed evilly as he blasted the medic´s top half out with his Cero.

Grimmjow observed the small carnage he had introduced into the little room, and couldn't help but chuckle. Finally he had a reason to be free again…to LIVE again.

"Thank you, Shinigami" – he smiled at the horizon – "Now…prepare yourself, ´cause I want my rematch!"

As soon as he finished the sentenced, Grimmjow darted off, leaving his life in Las Noches behind for good.

That made him…oh, so happy.

_Pride makes us say "no", while weakness makes us say "yes". Modesty can say both things…but with total lack of passion. – Pierre Reverdy_


End file.
